brainy water

the fixer's sidekick

jody'll fix it
Originally uploaded by vanilla.sky.

Last night I photographed a charity Twilight Walk in Manchester. I love event photography at the best of times but was even more thrilled that Jody Latham was one of the celeb supporters. "The Fixer" has, so far, been this year's favourite series. I got quite a few photos of him and had a little chat. (Hopefully there's another series of "The Fixer" coming up at some point).

Diane Modahl was also there, as was her brother Bobbie-Joe, a former boxer and also cousin of my favourite boxer, Chris Eubank.

I had a ball dashing about picking off shots and capturing moments. It was great.

teddy puts in an appearance

You may have wondered why Teddy, my hamster (remember him?) has been mentioned so infrequently of late. It's because he loves sleeping. He also loves to move like a blur whenever I wave a camera in front of him. The other morning I managed to get a few snaps of him before he moved into second gear. This was, however, the only passable shot.

This week I stocked up on hamster goodies. A new house. Edible, because he loved eating his old one (made of blue plastic) so much I thought he may as well have something that he is supposed to eat, should the urge for a mid morning snack come over him. I also got some fruity stuff that he seems to love and some carrot things.

He is a great hamster. Very tame but very sleepy! I know he does get up in the night when he thinks I'm asleep though as I hear him rattling about. When he was busy munching his blue plastic house the roof vibrated against the bars. So I knew he was up. I also knew he was up because he started setting off the alarm. It took a few nights of charging down the stairs looking for intruders to work that one out!

He's not a big one for play either. He likes being handled. We sometimes watch television together (when he's awake when I am). But put him in his ball and he sits stock still till you take him out again. He has never grasped the concept of his ball. Even when he's in his playpen he spends most of his time chewing it. He turns his nose up at his ball, now set conveniently in its little frame, and only hides in his purple crinkle tunnel to make me think he's escaped.

So far the edible house remains intact. I wonder how long it will last!

dressed to thrill

glam
Originally uploaded by vanilla.sky.

I went into town on Saturday and took a few photos. I hadn't been into town for quite a few Saturdays so I had a wander round and took one of my little cameras. A coffee, a browse around Paperchase and a wander around the art gallery.

humph

Humphrey is such a great name. My tortoise is called Humphrey (even though "he" is actually a "she", discovered too late to change the name) and like Mr Lyttelton, frequently called Humph. I've been a fan of ISIHAC for years and years, a radio programme that could always be relied upon to make me laugh. I wonder now, with Humphrey's passing, whether that will be the end, too, of ISIHAC . Who could replace him? He had his own inimitable style, a wicked sense of humour and a knack for the double entendre. I suspect many CDs of ISIHAC will be dusted off over the next few days and listened to again.

Humphrey Lyttelton: "As we journey through life, discarding baggage along the way, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication".

wedding belles

michelle and jody
Originally uploaded by vanilla.sky.

Lots has been happening in the last few weeks. I've been job hunting which has been a full time job. Last week I had a first interview, rapidly followed by a second interview and a job offer. I start early May. It's the job I particularly wanted and I am looking forward to starting there. As well as looking for a job, I've been busy as a volunteer webmaster, and the photography has been going great guns too.

This last week I did a course with Brett Harkness - lifestyle portrait and wedding photography. It was an intensive couple of days and I had an absolutely great time. (More wedding photos from the shoot are here and lifestyle photography here.

As well as the course I've done a "pre-wedding" shoot, a couple of shoots with children, got a charity event lined up and a wedding shoot in June. I've ordered my first bespoke frames for clients - they look fab. I'm still researching the type of wedding albums I might use. I'm just having the time of my life, doing something I really love.

art deco latte

metro coffee
Originally uploaded by vanilla.sky.

I went to the park this morning. On the way there I drove past the recently opened Metro Cafe and made a mental note to call in on the way home. They've been open 8 weeks. Someone has invested a lot of time and money in creating a really gorgeous cafe. All black and white. Very art deco, even down to the clock on the wall. Sumptuous chrome figures topped with lamps. And a matching style lion's head on the door as you go in. The attention to detail is amazing. The loos are stunning! It's like stepping back into a more elegant period. And the coffees are fab! I'll be going back there, that's for sure. A new addition to my favourite cafe list.